Photos of Flightless Birds: All 18 Penguin Species

Emperor Penguin

Credit: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA

Penguins are a group of non-flying aquatic birds that live in the Southern Hemisphere. They include 18 species 13 of which are either threatened or endangered. With their habitats and food supply under threat from humans and climate change, it could take a major effort to save some of these creatures from extinction.

Clara Moskowitz is a senior writer for LiveScience, a sister site to OurAmazingPlanet.

Galápagos penguins

Credit: dreamstime

The Galápagos penguin, endemic to the ((CONLINK|6800|GalÃ

Emperor penguins

Credit: Dr. Robert Ricker, NOAA/NOS/ORR

Emperor penguins are the largest of the penguin species, and mate and breed on the ice of Antarctica. They make a harrowing trek across up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) of ice to reach breeding colonies during the frigid Antarctic winter. While this life can be rather austere, for now it is sustaining: Emperor penguins are rated of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Female emperor penguins hatch an egg, and the males incubate it while she forages for food. After chicks are born males and females take turns diving for food and caring for the young.

Humboldt penguins

Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Drcwp1

Humboldt penguins are native to the Southern Hemisphere, but these Humboldts live at Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The species is rated vulnerable to extinction, and has been strongly impacted by El Nino, which changes the water temperature and reduced the amount of food available for the penguins.

African penguins

Credit: dreamstime

African penguins, a once robust iconic species in Namibia and South Africa, have experienced a precipitous decline and were recently reclassified as endangered.

Chinstrap penguins

Credit: Lieutenant Philip Hall, NOAA Corps

Chinstrap penguins, found on barren islands and large icebergs around Antarctica, are not endangered. This is an adult chinstrap penguin at Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island.

King penguins

Credit: Lieutenant Philip Hall, NOAA Corps

This long-distance forager species is stable, but one study found that their average foraging range has recently doubled, meaning they are having to travel farther to find food. They are the second largest penguin species in the world, following the Emperor.

Magellanic penguins

Credit: Graham Harris/Wildlife Conservation Society

These South American penguins breed in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands. While at one point within the last few decades there were thought to be about 6 million breeding pairs of Magellanic penguins in the wild, now there are estimated to be only 1 million pairs. They are rated near-threatened.

Adelie penguins

Rockhopper penguins

Credit: Dr. Robert Ricker, NOAA/NOS/ORR

Rockhopper penguins include two species the northern and southern rockhopper. The population of northern rockhoppers has declined by 90 percent over the last 50 years, according to a 2009 paper in the journal Bird Conservation International. They have been strongly affected by algal blooms and oil dumping in the oceans, as well as competition for prey with commercial fisheries.

Gentoo penguins

Credit: Zee Evans, National Science Foundation

A gentoo penguin on Petermann Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula. Gentoos' long stiff tail feathers are the most prominent of all penguins.

Macaroni penguins

Credit: Commander Richard Behn, NOAA Corps

This species, with its signature orange tuft, is found from subantarctic regions to the Antarctic Peninsula. Macaroni penguins are rated vulnerable due to climate change , overfishing and chronic oil pollution.

Little blue penguins

Credit: dreamstime

These are the smallest penguins in the world, and are found on Australia and New Zealand. While they are not considered endangered, they are losing some habitat due to urban encroachment.

Royal penguins

Credit: Mike Usher, National Science Foundation

This species native to the waters around Antarctica is considered vulnerable. Here are baby royal penguins on Macquarie Island, which is also home to king, gentoo and rockhopper penguins.

Erect-crested penguins

Credit: dreamstime

This penguin found on offshore islands of New Zealand is endangered, most likely due to disease, prey availability and climate change. They have seen a roughly 70 percent population decline over 20 years.

Fiordland penguins

Credit: Taronga Zoo

Another New Zealand penguin, this vulnerable species is strongly impacted by mammals that have been introduced to the island by humans. These two female penguins, Chalky and Milford, live at the Taronga Zoo in Austraila.

Yellow-eyed penguins

Credit: dreamstime

These New Zealand penguins are endangered, primarily due to habitat encroachment from agriculture. Here, a yellow eyed penguin looks aside on the beach at Curio Bay, New Zealand South Island.

Snares penguins

Credit: Thomas Mattern, University of Otago

Also native to New Zealand, this species has lost about 13 percent of its population over 10 years.

Clara has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has written for both Space.com and Live Science.

Clara Moskowitz,
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Emperor Penguin

Credit: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA

Penguins are a group of non-flying aquatic birds that live in the Southern Hemisphere. They include 18 species 13 of which are either threatened or endangered. With their habitats and food supply under threat from humans and climate change, it could take a major effort to save some of these creatures from extinction.

Clara Moskowitz is a senior writer for LiveScience, a sister site to OurAmazingPlanet.

Galápagos penguins

Credit: dreamstime

The Galápagos penguin, endemic to the ((CONLINK|6800|GalÃ

Emperor penguins

Credit: Dr. Robert Ricker, NOAA/NOS/ORR

Emperor penguins are the largest of the penguin species, and mate and breed on the ice of Antarctica. They make a harrowing trek across up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) of ice to reach breeding colonies during the frigid Antarctic winter. While this life can be rather austere, for now it is sustaining: Emperor penguins are rated of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Female emperor penguins hatch an egg, and the males incubate it while she forages for food. After chicks are born males and females take turns diving for food and caring for the young.

Humboldt penguins

Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Drcwp1

Humboldt penguins are native to the Southern Hemisphere, but these Humboldts live at Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The species is rated vulnerable to extinction, and has been strongly impacted by El Nino, which changes the water temperature and reduced the amount of food available for the penguins.

African penguins

Credit: dreamstime

African penguins, a once robust iconic species in Namibia and South Africa, have experienced a precipitous decline and were recently reclassified as endangered.

Chinstrap penguins

Credit: Lieutenant Philip Hall, NOAA Corps

Chinstrap penguins, found on barren islands and large icebergs around Antarctica, are not endangered. This is an adult chinstrap penguin at Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island.

King penguins

Credit: Lieutenant Philip Hall, NOAA Corps

This long-distance forager species is stable, but one study found that their average foraging range has recently doubled, meaning they are having to travel farther to find food. They are the second largest penguin species in the world, following the Emperor.

Magellanic penguins

Credit: Graham Harris/Wildlife Conservation Society

These South American penguins breed in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands. While at one point within the last few decades there were thought to be about 6 million breeding pairs of Magellanic penguins in the wild, now there are estimated to be only 1 million pairs. They are rated near-threatened.

Adelie penguins

Rockhopper penguins

Credit: Dr. Robert Ricker, NOAA/NOS/ORR

Rockhopper penguins include two species the northern and southern rockhopper. The population of northern rockhoppers has declined by 90 percent over the last 50 years, according to a 2009 paper in the journal Bird Conservation International. They have been strongly affected by algal blooms and oil dumping in the oceans, as well as competition for prey with commercial fisheries.

Gentoo penguins

Credit: Zee Evans, National Science Foundation

A gentoo penguin on Petermann Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula. Gentoos' long stiff tail feathers are the most prominent of all penguins.

Macaroni penguins

Credit: Commander Richard Behn, NOAA Corps

This species, with its signature orange tuft, is found from subantarctic regions to the Antarctic Peninsula. Macaroni penguins are rated vulnerable due to climate change , overfishing and chronic oil pollution.

Little blue penguins

Credit: dreamstime

These are the smallest penguins in the world, and are found on Australia and New Zealand. While they are not considered endangered, they are losing some habitat due to urban encroachment.

Royal penguins

Credit: Mike Usher, National Science Foundation

This species native to the waters around Antarctica is considered vulnerable. Here are baby royal penguins on Macquarie Island, which is also home to king, gentoo and rockhopper penguins.

Erect-crested penguins

Credit: dreamstime

This penguin found on offshore islands of New Zealand is endangered, most likely due to disease, prey availability and climate change. They have seen a roughly 70 percent population decline over 20 years.

Fiordland penguins

Credit: Taronga Zoo

Another New Zealand penguin, this vulnerable species is strongly impacted by mammals that have been introduced to the island by humans. These two female penguins, Chalky and Milford, live at the Taronga Zoo in Austraila.

Yellow-eyed penguins

Credit: dreamstime

These New Zealand penguins are endangered, primarily due to habitat encroachment from agriculture. Here, a yellow eyed penguin looks aside on the beach at Curio Bay, New Zealand South Island.

Snares penguins

Credit: Thomas Mattern, University of Otago

Also native to New Zealand, this species has lost about 13 percent of its population over 10 years.